I was born by the sea. There was a path lined with pomegranates trees connecting my house to the beach. I was only 320 steps away from the sea. I walked it everyday, I committed to my daily visit even on grey days when he was billowy. In London I only dive into trains flooded with human shoals where breathing costs as much as when the sea engulfs me in his surf.

As I was missing the ocean I decided to go visit him again.

When I arrived in Tulum, Mexico, the sun was already far away, changing shifts with the moon. I sat on the porch, facing the ocean, without announcing my arrival. From there I observed the waves fainting and closed my eyes to listen to their symphony. As I sat there, measuring the distance between me and the horizon, I found myself thinking that although I've known him all my life, he remains a mystery to my eyes. Maybe that's why I never get tired of visiting him.

Tulum is for anyone who wants to disconnect from the world. There are even hotels that advertise the fact that there is no electricity in their premises. Whoever comes here walks barefoot, picks pitayas from the trees, eats tacos in the street, and sleeps under a thatched roof.

I have visited the sea in many other countries but I have never known him as hot as here. By the beach he's as turquoise as the sky. Here his transparency doesn't hide any secrets, it's further away, where his blue begins to darken, that all his mysteries and inhabitants live.

Barefoot in the sand my feet create roots. Further down the beach, covered by the shade of a palm tree, a boy that sells fruit builds a sand castle. He carries on his way once his work is complete. While the tide knocks the castle down I read another ten chapters of Bukowski. I rest my head on the chest of the one I love most and, as he sinks his fingers into my hair, I teach him how to love in Spanish.

Here, on these deserted beaches of white sand, he is my paradise ...

Dicas/Tips:

Em Tulum os melhores meios de transporte são a bicicleta (o preço médio é de 150 pesos por dia) e o táxi./The best way to go around Tulum is on a bicycle (the average price is 150 pesos per day) or in a taxi.

Há muitas algas em Tulum, o que a mim não me incomoda minimamente. Abril é a altura do ano com menos algas no mar./There's a lot of seaweed in Tulum, which doesn't bother me at all. Usually April is the time of the year when the sea has less seaweed.

Dize-se que a melhor altura para visitar Tulum é de Dezembro a Abril mas nós fomos em Agosto e só choveu um dia. /The best time to visit Tulum is from December to April but we went in August and it only rained on one day.

Pastor Tacos - (fica na cidade, é incrivelmente bom e barato. Um jantar para dois custou certa de 7$. Os restaurantes na cidade são por norma mais em conta. Por conveniência acabámos por comer muito mais vezes na praia do que na cidade./It is in the town, incredibly good and cheap. I remember that dinner for two cost around 7$. The restaurants in town are much more affordable. For convenience we ended up eating a lot more at the beach than in town.)

Praia/Beach:

Por norma maior parte dos hotéis tem camas na praia que podem ser frequentadas por qualquer pessoa desde que consuma no hotel. Alguns dos hotéis têm um consumo mínimo estipulado. / Most hotels have beds on the beach that can be used by non-guests as long as they consume in the hotel. Some might have a minimum spend.